Rising up in the eastern fringe of the Kolkata’s HOTEL hub is the ‘JW Marriott’, a tough contender to the formidable ‘ITC’, which is also preparing to battle it out. JW Marriott has a very fashionable construction virtue of being the latest (2016) in the Kolkata market. It almost gives you the feel of newly sprung high-end jewels showroom with all the glitterati of chrome finish hangings and brilliant props.

JW Marriott’s All-Day Dining restaurant, JW Kitchen, is pretty well setup expanse of 172-seater restaurant (including alfresco seating) with 4 distinct open kitchen hubs of varying cuisines, catering an array of World and Indian delicacies. The assortment and the arrangement of the preparations were truly hearty and enticing, though, the quality of buffet stuff wasn’t above any regular buffet of a competing 5 star. However, a special word of praise for the outstanding desserts and the patisserie, it takes the cake. The live waffle counter too was indeed a tribute to ‘Vermersch’. That’s where I splurged in the end.

Going back to the variety question, buffets are a real trying proposition as one can’t even try everything. Here it was a battle of the Pupil versus the Palate. The options of the spread outweigh your desires and ability. Getting down to get the proof of the pudding, I tried some of the most basic items from the Indian section first, the Dal Makhani and Mutton Rogan Josh. I am a believer in the simplest culinary fact: one can judge the quality of food of any institution by trying out the most basic preparation. In a Chinese restaurant, a simple and popular Sweet Corn Chicken soup can tell the entire story of the kitchen hand’s expertise. As a thumb rule I did not go with a pent up expectation from buffet, thus, I would say that the fare was just about above average. On the flip side at 699++ for breakfast, 899++ for Lunch and 999++ for Dinner, which of course are promotional rates, this buffet was far too good to miss out on, while it is still on.

The exciting stuff is always in the ‘A La Carte’ menu and the Chef’s specials, for which, I had reserved a section and must say that I don’t commend myself for it. Chef Raheel’s creative persuasions are definitely galore and finding them in the signature Lamb dish with Asparagus and Cherry tomatoes on side was easy. It was a truly delicious dish in sight and prep. The lamb was juicy and smoky as well as surely char grilled to perfection. After this I gave a shot to the live pasta counter and tried well-made and very steamy hot seafood pasta, which also was a delight.

In all it is a welcome addition to the Kolkata Gourmet map and surely many more outlets are planned out here, including a specialty Asian restaurant – Vintage Asia, nightclub – Gold and a rooftop lounge. Overall a rather prestigious change Kolkata has earned. Now, we are beginning to get happening.

Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind